Nasal
Administration
The nose is the doorway to the brain and it is also the doorway to
consciousness. The nasal administration of medication is called nasya.
An excess of bodily humors accumulated in the sinus, throat, nose or
head areas is eliminated by means of the nearest possible opening, the
nose.

Prana, life
force as nerve energy, enters the body through the breath taken in
through the nose. Prana is in the brain and maintains sensory and
motor functions. Prana also governs mental activities, memory,
concentration and intellectual activities. Deranged prana creates
defective functioning of all these activities and produces headaches,
convulsions, loss of memory and reduced sensory perception. Thus nasal
administration, nasya is indicated for prana disorders, sinus
congestion, migraine headaches, convulsions and certain eye and ear
problems.

Breathing
also can be improved through nasal massage. For this treatment, the
little finger is dipped into ghee and inserted into the nose. The
inner walls of the nose are slowly massaged, going as deeply as
possible. This treatment will help to open the emotions. (Nose tissue
is tender and for this application the fingernail must be kept short
to avoid injuring the delicate mucus membranes.) Since most people
have deviated nasal septums, one side of the nose will be easier to
penetrate and massage than the other. The finger should not be
inserted forcibly. The massage should proceed by slow penetration, the
finger moving first in a clockwise, then counter-clockwise direction.
By this means, the emotions that are blocked in the respiratory tract
will be released. One may use this treatment each morning and evening.
In this way breathing patterns will change as the emotions are
released and the eyesight also will improve.

There are
six main types of nasya, as listed below.

1.
Pradhamana (virechan)

Nasya
(cleansing nasya) uses dry powders (rather than oils) that are blown
into the nose with a tube. Pradhamana nasya is mainly used for kapha
types of diseases involving headaches, heaviness in the head, cold,
nasal congestion, sticky eyes, hoarseness of voice due to sticky
kapha, sinusitis, cervical lymph adenitis, tumors, worms, some skin
diseases, epilepsy, drowsiness, Parkinsonism, inflammation of the
nasal mucosa, attachment, greed and lust. Traditionally, powders such
as brahmi are used.

2.
Bruhana Nasya (nutrition nasya)

Uses ghee,
oils, salt, shatavari ghee, ashwagandha ghee and medicated milk and is
used mainly for vata disorders. It is said to benefit conditions
resulting from vata imbalances such as vata-type headaches, migraine
headache, dryness of voice, dry nose, nervousness, anxiety, fear,
dizziness, emptiness, negativity, heaviness of eyelids, bursitis,
stiffness in the neck, dry sinuses and loss of sense of smell.

3. Shaman
Nasya (sedative nasya)

Used
according to which dosha is aggravated but mainly for pitta-type
disorders such as thinning of hair, conjunctivitis and ringing in the
ears. Generally certain herbal medicated decoctions, teas and
medicated oils are used.

4. Navana
Nasya (decoction nasya)

used in
vata-pitta or kapha-pitta disorders and is made from decoctions and
oils together.

5.
Marshya Nasya (ghee or oil nasya)

6. Prati
Marshya (daily oil nasya)

Performed by
dipping the clean little finger in the ghee or oil and inserting into
each nostril, lubricating the nasal passage with gentle massage as
described above. This helps to open deep tissues and can be done every
day and at any time to release stress.

Panchakarma is a very
special Ayurvedic operation requiring proper guidance from a highly
trained and skillful Ayurvedic practitioner. This should not be
undertaken just from information in this article. One should consult
with an Ayurvedic physician, not just someone with a modest amount of
training. Panchakarma is done individually for each person with their
specific constitution and specific disorder in mind, thus it requires
close observation and supervision.